Karen Woodward Arlen was my dear friend and partner in Calicanto Associates. After a long illness, Karen passed away June 7, 2025. During the last few hours of her life, surrounded by loving family, she sang original songs and folk melodies with a chaplain by her side. I deeply miss Karen and think of her every day. The following is her biography, emphasizing her musical accomplishments.
Karen Arlen taught pre-school through 8th grade classroom music in both public and private schools in Oakland and Alameda for many years, including 21 years at Redwood Day School in Oakland. She was also an experienced piano and guitar teacher in her home studio.
Karen was born in Portland, Oregon and graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Art. She lived in San Francisco where she met and married Graham Arlen, her husband of 55 years. They later moved to the Montclair region of Oakland where they raised three daughters, Melissa Arlen Brady, Camela Arlen Azevedo and Stephanie Arlen.
In 1978, Karen participated in a year-long Kodály Paraprofessional Training Program directed by Nancie Kester through Oakland Schools. In the early 1980s, Karen worked with Nancie to develop a comprehensive Kodály program involving all public elementary schools in Alameda, CA. Karen later received a Master of Music Education degree with Kodály Music emphasis from Holy Names University in Oakland, In the summer of 1997, she was a fellow at the UC History-Social Science Institute at UC Berkeley where she produced a project entitled Oh California, That's the Place for Me: Songs of California's Immigrants.
Karen Arlen is a past president of the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators and also served on the national board of the Organization of American Kodály Educators for eight years, both as Regional Representative and as Western Division President. She was co-chair of the OAKE conference in San Francisco in 1991.
In the early 90’s, the concept of California history through song originated in NCAKE with a variety of workshops and presentations. This eventually led to the creation of Calicanto Associates, involving Karen Arlen, Margaret Batt, Mary Ann Benson, and Nancie Kester plus Toni Locke in the early stages. This group compiled and published two books & CDs: They Came Singing: Songs from California’s History, and Days of Gold: Songs of the California Gold Rush plus 5 musical plays and a choral series. One of the musical plays, Tutokanula: A Yosemite Legend, was written and illustrated by Karen Arlen. She also composed eight lovely arrangements for the Choral Series. Karen was an integral part of the Calicanto Singers under the leadership of Lance Beeson. They recorded all the CDs and performed throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
After Margaret and Mary Ann retired, Nancie and Karen began the next phase of Calicanto. For decades, Karen and Nancie were frequent presenters and performers at state and national conferences, music workshops, and school in-services. Their most recent presentations were: Exploring Oregon’s History through Song: OAKE National Conference, 2020, (along with Douglas Card), and Making Connections: History through Song: IKS Symposium Los Angeles, CA, 2023.
Karen was a fine poet, artist, musician and song writer. Her contributions in these areas will continue on, along with her Calicanto publications and her legacy as a gifted music teacher. In addition to her three daughters, Karen is survived by four grandchildren: Liam and Kaitlyn Brady, Liliana and Jessica Azevedo.
Four Calicanto Authors: Karen Arlen, Margaret Batt, Mary Ann Benson and Nancie Kester 1995
The Calicanto Singers performing in Mission Santa Clara de Asis